Emirates Holidays unveils new direction in trade strategy

16 April 2013

DUBAI, U.A.E.., 17th April 2013: Emirates Holidays is set to implement changes that are aimed to improve operations and offer its trade and travel agent-partners greater opportunities as well as easier access to attractive holiday packages across the airline’s network.

As Emirates’ tour operating arm, Emirates Holidays is currently the largest wholesale tour operator in the region, with strength in servicing outbound traffic from Dubai and GCC. With its evolving new trade strategy, Emirates Holidays will strengthen its role as a major distribution channel for the airline as well as solidify its position as a leading leisure brand in Dubai and beyond. With year-long offers and access into new markets that the airline has launched, Emirates Holidays is targeting an increase in its operating revenue by 30 per cent, and passenger numbers by 20 per cent this year and double digit compound annual growth over the next five years.

“Following in-depth research and a re-examination of our core strengths and assets, Emirates Holidays’ new approach will place it in the formidable position of offering the industry an exciting cache of new products,” said Marc Bennett – Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Destination & Leisure Management (D&LM).

“We are keen to offer continuous support to our trade and travel-agent partners. Towards this end, we will implement new distribution platforms harnessing the reach that our flagship brand, Emirates, affords us. As tour operator of one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, we are in the position to offer the largest number of seats into Dubai, tap into the massive customer base of Emirates, as well as provide easy access for our partners – to packaged holidays in destinations across the airline’s network, cutting across seasonality and at extremely competitive prices.”

Key to this strategy is a new technology which will centralise DLM's contracting system. Emirates Holidays, a part of Emirates’ Destination & Leisure Management Division, is putting in place, a suite of state-of-the-art technology components that will enable it to achieve better buying power and greater opportunity for its partners. The technology will provide Emirates Holidays and its partners, real time direct access to room inventories not only in Dubai hotels, but also worldwide – through a variety of methods – from direct hotel connectivity to bed banks, allowing them to have access to the critical last bed availability.

In turn, the technology will empower Emirates Holidays to offer packaged holidays to trade partners through a variety of channels to suit diverse needs. This will range from seamless direct connection to partners’ own sales systems, to simple online business-to-business and business-to-consumer channels for other trade partners and direct clients. These systems will enable Emirates Holidays to provide their partners with round-the-clock, updated access to its products.

“The flexibility and scalability of the technology solution will allow Emirates Holidays to seize opportunities that may otherwise not be fulfilled. The technology will give us the agility to adapt to market conditions and steer the business a lot quicker. It will also provide our partners greater accessibility to a larger customer base and allow us to wholesale accommodation where appropriate,” concluded Mr Bennett.